The King of Fruits is back! Durian season is finally here in Malaysia and what better way to enjoy this unique and distinctive fruit than to pair it with our famous classic Malaysian dessert; chendol! 

The PUMA Night Run is just two months away and with over 8,500 participants registered so far, this might be your last chance to register! If you haven’t yet made up your mind whether or not to sign up, here are not one, but FIVE reasons why you should be there.

If your excuse for not running is the hot blistering sun, rest assured, that won’t be a problem here. This is the first time PUMA Night Run is being held at the Dataran Kemerdekaan Shah Alam, so you’re in for an exciting experience running through the streets of Shah Alam. The refreshing

cool night air, which is definitely better than the heat of the day, will be helpful for you breeze through the finish line.

While running with your friends is always a fun thing to do (as well as an excellent opportunity to brag if you beat their time), we challenge you to spot the most number of celebrities at the Night Run this year! Many local personalities and PUMA Friends are joining us this year with most of them

already prepping hard to clock in their personal bests! Do like the official Facebook page ‘PUMA Night Run 2016’ for all the latest updates about this.

The Night Run has something for everyone, so even if you may not be among the best of runners, the PUMA Village will be your playground with a selection of exciting games, challenges and fun activities waiting for you! You will also get the chance to ‘ignite’ the runner in you with an

exclusive trial of the soon-to-be-released, PUMA Ignite Dual!

There’s more to the PUMA Night Run than the run itself. Funny man Phat Fabes and the fabulous Melissa Th’ng will be keep the party alive with lots of laughter while Malaysia’s Top Pop Punk band, An Honest Mistake are also set to rock the stage to give you a night to remember!

Who doesn’t love fireworks? The PUMA Night Run will give you a perfect end to a perfect night with some brilliant fireworks display! Your epic night of running and having fun will be complete as you will watch fireworks beautifully light up the dark skies. How about that for a picture

perfect moment?

There you go! This is your last chance to not miss out on an epic night run this year as registration is closing end of June! Register today at www.puma-nightrun.com.my/ and like the official FB page ‘PUMA Night Run 2016’ for all the latest updates about the event!

See you all there!

xoxo

Miriam

Another hype has recently begun which is the Baked Cheese Tart. Videos of the original cheese tart  had been circling around online with oozing cheesy filling that once there was news that it has landed in Malaysia, everyone went wild. I managed to try out two of the current popular places which is Tokyo Secret at IPC Shopping Centre as well as Hokkaido Baked Cheese Tart at Empire Shopping Gallery. So let's see whether these two places are worth the hype.

Starting off with Tokyo Secret which offers Japanese Hanjyuku Cheese Tart (Half Baked Cheese Tart) although not originating from Japan but actually from Hong Kong. Their first outlet can be located at IPC Shopping Mall right within Mac City. You definitely will not miss out this outlet especially with the whiff of aromatic cheese tart that hits your nostrils once you are at the entrance.

I was actually surprised that they offer not only cheese tarts but also soft serve ice cream so we ordered both the cheese tart and their Hokkaido Mountain.

With Tokyo Secret setting quite a high benchmark, Hokkaido Baked Cheese Tart was next on my list. Located at Empire  Shopping Galery, Subang this baked cheese tart has been appearing on my Facebook feed with aggressive marketing and promotional initiatives. I was definitely intrigued at how good this tart would be. They had a Buy 5 Free 1 promotion going on which means around RM4.80/pc instead of the regular RM5.80/pc so we decided to get a box to share.

Now for the taste test. It was really a disappointment at the first bite. The crust is not as buttery and flaky like Tokyo Secret but more of a hard pie crust; breaking in large piece. Cheese filling was very bland, not oozing and tasted more like a sweet vanilla pudding instead of a cheese cream. Feedback from my colleague was that it tasted like some milky powder pudding instead of a cheesetart. For RM5.80/pc this was definitely a disappointment and not worth the hype. 

Disappointed with the Hokkaido Baked Cheese Tart made us ending up at SS15 to get our doze of egg tarts which at RM1.90/pc left us much satisfied. Comparing both the tarts, I would gladly just enjoy my egg tarts which tasted better and definitely much cheaper too. 

Comparing the tarts from Tokyo Secret and Hokkaido Baked Cheese Tart, the winner is clearly Tokyo Secret. If ever I have cravings for tarts I would much rather top up RM2.10 and get the cheese tart from Tokyo Secret. At least, I can taste the cheese in it and know that they used premium ingredients. The Hokkaido Baked Cheese Tart is really so not worth the hype and definitely a miss in my taste books. These are just based on my personal preference so let me know what you think about them if you do try them out but please just don't put too high of an expectation.

Durian lovers put your hands up!! Durian season is back and I cannot wait to indulge in the King of Fruits. But among the king of fruits there is always a superior breed so let's see the showdown between the all time champion Musang King versus a new competitor in town hailing from Penang, the Black Thorn.

If you all did not know, the popular Durian King TTDI has opened another branch at Bukit Bintang to cater to crazy durian fans out there and they are the only ones offering the Black Thorn which claims to be a competitor to the Musang King.

With so many different breeds of durians around, not everyone knows how to differentiate the different types of durians and often get cheated by unscrupulous sellers by the roadside. It definitely isn't a pleasant experience to get cheated when purchasing durians especially since they aren't the cheapest fruits around. I am going to share with you some tips on identifying the Musang King and Black Thorn.

So this is how you can identify the Musang King with a star-shaped mark at the bottom of the durian. This star shaped mark is one way a durian fan can check the authenticity of the durian you purchase so make sure you remember this tip. 

Not only that, you can also identify a Musang King from the ring around the stem which is another identification point of this breed.

I am sure every durian fan have tasted the Musang King and know how amazing the flavors are with the rich, pungent aromatic flesh that literally lingers in your mouth. That golden flesh never fails to make any durian lover fall in love with it. Just leave me alone with it and I can just finish the whole fruit!

Now let's talk about its competitor, the Black Thorn. This fragrant and aromatic breed can be identified with a tiny thorn at the base of the durian; giving it the name Black Thorn. Not only that, you can identify this beauty from the unique star shape that resembles a starfruit.

Just look at the luscious golden flesh hidden within the thorny shell of the Black Thorn. This breed is definitely one of the 'black label' among the durians as you can only find one piece in each section. This makes just it to be priced at roughly RM20 per piece! But let me tell you that it is so worth it because of the creamy goodness and the tinge of bitter sweet.

Another specialty you will be able to find at Durian King would be their Durian Cendol. Riding on the hype of the Shah Alam Durian Cendol, the Durian King has their own twist to their version with that gorgeous Black Thorn on top of it. I must say the star of the whole bowl is definitely still the durian while the cendol still needs some tweaks to it. Since they have just started, I am sure after some modification, this bowl of cendol would be the best dessert on a hot day.

Go have your durian feast this coming durian season but do make sure to drink tons of water or herbal tea after your session so that you do not fall sick!

Til next time,

xoxo

Miriam

Hi merrygoers!

Time for some relaxation time at Herbaline Facial Spa. I previously had a short staycation at the Sojourn Guest House also by Herbaline at Pandan Indah and had seriously the most relaxing time of my life. To my delight, they recently opened a branch at Puchong Jaya which is just a stone-throw away from my house plus they have Mama Kim as well!

Thanks to the team for inviting the group of us to check out their new facilities and have a sneak peak at what they have to offer. Honestly, even if they did not invite me I would have paid them a visit too. I would never have thought they would open up a branch at the industrial area in Puchong Jaya but it is super easy to find. Just key in Herbaline Puchong in Waze and you will be lead directly to it. For those of you who are familiar with Puchong area, it is very near the Asia Cafe location.

Herbaline Facial Spa Puchong is connected with another branch of Mama Kim Sauna Mee which is great because Mama Kim serves some awesome healthy food which I will share with you all again further down this post.

Like usual, the first thing you have got to try is their Fish Spa! First up, the 5 minute Foot Bath to clean your feet before diving them into the Fish Spa where little fishes are waiting to nibble on your dead skin. *ewwwww ok that sounded gross* but your feet will feel oh so smooth after the fish spa experience.

Ok but here is the highlight of the Herbaline Facial Spa Puchong because they have a SALT ROOM! Just imagine walking into a room full of sea salt that it really resembles a sea salt beach! With piles of sea salt, you will be buried up to your shoulders with sea salt to fully balance out your electrolytes in you body. Not only that, sea salt actually helps to exfoliate all those dead skin plus helps improve your blood circulation. I actually felt my blood circulation improve especially at my ankle area because I sprained it a month ago.

We were also treated to a short neck and shoulder massage which felt so good. Seriously I could feel my muscles relaxing! I love the massage service from Herbaline especially the Jade Stone massage which I had during my last session. If you are feeling tensed or stressed lately, I really recommend getting the massage and they are having a promotion which I will share with you at the end of this post.

Some other facilities available are the Face Threading, Facial Spa which has an opening promo of RM39 now! as well as other relaxing services. Before each facial or massage session, customers are encourage to breathe in a soothing lavendar scents and after completing the session to breathe in a lemongrass scent.

Like at all Herbaline outlets, there are rooms for individual facial/massage sessions as well as for couples but take note that guys require a female to accompany them for every session.

After the short pampering session it was time for FOOD! Mama Kim seriously serves some of the best healthy cuisines I have tasted. It is not the regular healthy restaurants serving only vegetarian dishes but they have a concept of serving 80% vegetables and 20% meat diet. Dining here at night is a pleasant experience thanks to the garden area.

Starting off with their Salad which had a generous serving of vegetables and nicely seasoned chicken meat. I could indulge in this whole plate without feeling guilty!

Of course, one cannot dine at Mama Kim without ordering their Signature Mama Kim Sauna Mee which taste just as delicious as I remembered it to be! Sizzling hot stone bowl keeps my meal warm until the end and I loved how I could keep topping up the soup which tasted so good. 

We finished our meal with some Black Glutinous Rice Pudding and washed it down with their Lemongrass Tea which is great for cleansing our body. I literally feel healthier after this meal. For other dishes, you can read my previous review of Mama Kim Sauna Mee here.

No. 39, Jalan Layang-Layang 4,

Bandar Puchong Jaya,

47100 Puchong,

Selangor

Tel: +60380826063 (Facial Spa)

+60358791150 (Mama Kim)